With the airport tunnel now open, city councillors want to use federal funds to extend Airport Trail to the northeast ring road as early as 2016.

The six-lane tunnel beneath Canada’s largest runway opened in May, but the road ends at the two-lane 36th Street N.E. shortly after the tunnel’s eastern exit.

As part of the agreement with the Calgary Airport Authority, the city agreed it wouldn’t complete Airport Trail to the larger Metis Trail or beyond until it developed and helped fund two interchanges that would ease access to the air terminal.

The city, reluctant to spend on interchanges it doesn’t feel are necessary yet, has put no timeline on that Airport Trail extension. Now, transportation department officials and councillors have found a funding plan to get that road finished all the way to Stoney Trail.

They’re eyeing the Harper government’s long-awaited Building Canada Fund, which offers $942 million over a decade to Alberta plus an additional $4 billion for “national infrastructure” projects of broader benefit.

A council committee on Tuesday approved grant requests for the “green line” bus-only road through southeast Calgary and up Centre Street, as well as a series of interchanges and draining upgrades for flood mitigation.

Although some councillors are skeptical of spending $80 million on the airport road so soon after completion of the $295-million tunnel, Mac Logan, the city’s transportation general manager, defended the project as one Ottawa may approve.

“This is the type of project they’re supportive of, particularly because it connects to the airport and they see the airport as an economic driver,” he said. “Building roads into greenfield subdivisions is not what they see as an economic driver.”

It would cost $80 million, with the airport authority pitching in $20 million for the pair of interchanges at Barlow Trail and 19th Street N.E.

Logan said if the federal grant comes through, the city could have a fully extended Airport Trail by late 2016. The interchanges for the airport could be finished a year later, he said.

The airport tunnel agreement states that the city “will not extend” Airport Trail beyond 36th Street N.E. until the interchange construction “commences.”

Airport spokeswoman Jody Moseley did not clarify to the Herald whether it was OK if the two road projects didn’t finish or open at the same time, as long as the interchange work was underway.

Logan said the airport authority CEO has suggested the staggered timeline would be acceptable.

“They need to see a firm commitment with a date on those interchanges before they would even contemplate going ahead with Airport Trail,” he said.

The city’s top transportation official said drivers are currently facing delays turning off the small 36th Street N.E., but the road itself isn’t facing congestion.

A full Airport Trail will become more necessary as major development proceeds on the parallel Country Hills Boulevard north of the airport lands, Logan said.

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